re: Evidence that Common Core is garbage continues to mount

Yep. I see both sides. My point on the standard method is that it contributes to us being the vast minority. People go from getting all As and Bs in math to feeling like a bomb went off when they get to the college stuff. Would be great if there was a way to bridge that gap.

Common core's biggest problem is that it requires you to learn the actual math behind it which obviously is a lot harder. And of course that parents and teachers don't know it as well and in some cases actively fight it. It also seems to introduce some concepts too early for the average student.
My wife is a teacher and it's been a nightmare for her down here.

quote:

---

You don't see how a drop in enrollment for Algebra indicates fewer 8th graders are prepared to take Algebra?

---

Not if they so many were failing it in the first place, which means they weren't prepared to take it in the first place.

In other words, if 50% take a course and hflf of them aren't prepared for it and either fail or almost fail, then their enrollment in a course is not meaningful nor is the drop in enrollment because they changed the curriculum and providing a foundational course instead.

It all depends on how you approach it I guess. Its not as if you can't truly learn math in our system. Its just that you can get by on strict rote memorization and practice all the way through calculus 1. Once that is no longer an option a lot of people are screwed.

I hate Common Core and when I was a principal, I chose not to go that route and the superintendent and board agreed. Our test scores went up without Common Whore skills... that's an Obama bullshite idea

quote:

---

I hate Common Core and when I was a principal, I chose not to go that route and the superintendent and board agreed.

---

Well it would be interesting to hear what your reasoning was to convince the district and what was alternative you chose to improve performance. Our test scores went up

quote:

---

without Common Whore skills... that's an Obama bull shite idea

---

Was that your argument?

quote:

---

I hate Common Core and when I was a principal, I chose not to go that route and the superintendent and board agreed. Our test scores went up

---

That is a separate issue altogether. Education changes more than any industry that I have ever seen.

Changing curriculum
Changing how we rate schools/teachers (which changes the direction of schools ).
Changing assessments
Changing tools

There are learning curves for educators with all if these changes. And that puts stress on the kids to be successful when we haven't quite figured out implementation yet.

I'm not shocked that test scores went up without changing. That is the beauty of consistency. It works until the metrics to grade schools change again.

quote:

---

You mean being arrogant enough to think you can reinvent simple arithmetic has consequences?

---

Why do you hate 2+2 ain't 4 no mo'?

quote:

---

Regurgitation was the whole point. The entire point of common core is exactly this. They want mindless drones and not critical thinkers.

---

I dont know if it's what they want or an evolution of the system. I lean toward the latter.

Our evaluation and support of education institutions in this country is bizarrely fricked up. Schools have to pass certain standardized tests and students must all conform to exactly the same rigid thought processes or the school loses funding or gets shut down. Two words that should almost never apply to educational processes are rigid and uniform. School, especially elementary, should be about teaching kids how to think and building foundations for the core subjects. But that's not the case anymore. Students who are more artful free critical thinkers are being punished and discouraged and the regurgitative scientific thinkers are being ill-prepared for the real world. It's an interesting dynamic you could write a book on. The world needs both. It needs critical thinkers and artful problem solvers as much as it needs scientific memorization and adherence to routine.

quote:

---

It's like trying to teach children how to write an essay before you've taught them sentence structure.

---

It is funny that you bring this up.

Common Core has kids writing sentences in kindergarten and first grade. They are learning how to put thoughts on paper and to create the English language.

The old standard system focused on reading, vocabulary and flash card spelling words that it delayed writing skills for years. At that time, the thought of a foundation of spelling and vocabulary would help the older kids when they started to work on sentences in 2nd and 3rd grade.

Common Core takes the approach that kids will learn how to spell properly through their reading and the normal repetitions through school (think long term like k-5). If kids are too hung up on being perfect, they won't ever get started writing. There will always be words that they don't know how to spell and vocabulary that they haven't used yet. This approach gets them sharing ideas at 5 and 6 years old. And that gets them excited to learn (which hopefully leads to more reading).

The beauty is that Common Core is correct. Vocabulary is learned without rote memorization through consistent usage. And the kids have a huge head start on presenting ideas and thoughts to others with the new approach.

People in general are resistant to change. Some people are resistant to rigor and challenge. Some people can't wait for the next opportunity to run to social media in shock and anger that they taint their perception before being informed.

It is the world that we live in.